Guidelines for TCAF

Transfer Credit Approval Form (TCAF) is designed for current undergraduate College of Engineering students to have courses pre-approved before their enrollment as a guest student at another college/university. Non-CoE students don't have access to the form. LSA students: See note at very bottom of this page.

You need to submit a TCAF if one (or more) of the following four statements are true:

1. You have checked both equivalency databases below and the course is NOT listed in either one*. *CoE students need to be able to navigate between both databases for equivalencies as we use both databases for posting transfer credit. First look at the CoE database and then look at the OUA database. If both databases list an equivalency, we use the CoE database equivalency. If the course is listed only on the OUA database, we refer to that database for posting credit under most circumstances, however, there are exceptions such as courses that are not accepted due to CoE transfer credit policies (see note further down regarding Not Transferable courses). Just because a course is listed on one of the two databases does NOT mean it is transferable, or that it is transferable to a SPECIFIC course here at U-M. Some courses on the databases will say "Not Transferable" meaning the course will not transfer. Additionally, some courses will say a certain level of departmental credit usually abbreviated as 100, 200, 300-level dept, etc. These courses do NOT transfer to a specific U-M course, such as U-M MATH 215, and may or may not fulfill your degree requirements. For that reason, you should always consult with your advisor(s) prior to taking courses externally, and especially when a TCAF is not submitted. We recommend obtaining written or email confirmation from your advisor if an appointment is not made. It is the responsibility of the student to meet with their Department, IPE, major, minor, dual degree advisor, etc. to determine how the credits earned may or may not be counted toward their degree requirements, as a course being approved for transfer does not mean it will inherently fulfill degree requirements. Students cannot receive credit for the same course twice.

2. You found an equivalency listed, but it has expired, will be expiring soon, or you desire re-evaluation.

3. You are planning to study in another country, whether a study abroad experience through the University of Michigan International Programs in Engineering (IPE), a non-UM program, or an international college. If you are participating in a study abroad program, please contact your study abroad advisor for assistance in locating or obtaining course information. Transcripts must be issued from an accredited college/university. We will accept official transcripts from certain third-party study-abroad providers including the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES). For any other third party providers, please contact our Credit Eval office directly to confirm whether or not third party transcripts will be accepted BEFORE taking the course.

4. You intend to take a course online.

The following UM-Ann Arbor departments DO NOT ALLOW transfer credit for any ONLINE courses: IOE, CEE, CHEM, ECON, EECS, MECHENG, MATH, PHYSICS, and SPANISH. Prior to taking any course(s) online, you MUST submit a TCAF and indicate on the form that you will be taking the course online, even if the course is already approved on either the CoE or OUA Equivalency Database. Online courses are indicated on the CoE Database by a checkmark. STATS courses can be approved for online, however, approval should be obtained prior to taking the course. You must submit a TCAF for pre-approval for any online STATS courses.

EXAMPLE SITUATIONS: 1. If a course is currently transferable on the OUA equivalency database, BUT the same course is not transferable on the CoE database, then it is NOT transferable for engineering students; 2. If a course listed only on the OUA equivalency database is not expired, not online, and not listed in the CoE equivalency database, then it is currently transferable and you are not required to submit a TCAF. However, you may submit a TCAF if you would like additional confirmation and/or clarification. You may do this even if the course is already listed and approved. You can also simply send us an email for additional confirmation and/or clarification. Please note that most pre/non calculus MATH & PHYSICS courses listed on the OUAequivalency database are not transferable to CoE (see not transferable section below).

Procedure for Transfer Credit Approval

Early planning is essential. Please allow 2-4 weeks for courses to be evaluated. NOTE: We do not send automatic emails/notifications, and reply to inquiries & evaluation requests in the order they are received. Please be patient and refrain from sending multiple emails.

Step 1 - Course Selection

Meet with your academic advisor to determine best course options.

Select the institution you plan to attend as a guest student.

Step 2 - Review above equivalency databases to determine if the course has been evaluated.

Please list all courses you intend to take at the guest institution on your TCAF. You can list up to 8 courses per submission at a time. Each institution needs a separate TCAF. Students should not submit over 15 course requests at a time. Submitting excessive requests at one time for courses that have not yet been evaluated will significantly limit our ability to respond to your requests in a reasonable amount of time. For international course evaluations especially, check to make sure courses are offered the desired term and in the desired language of instruction. Do some of your own research regarding how the course units may transfer to semester hours here at U-M.When submitting multiple courses in a single TCAF, you will not receive a response to any one course until all courses have been thoroughly evaluated. You will need to specify the following when submitting a TCAF:

*General info:

Your Name:

Your Email:

Your UMID:

Your Major:

Transfer Institution Name:

Is the institution outside of the U.S. (Y/N):

Term the course was taken/will be taken:

Year the course was taken/will be taken:

*Course info : (per course)

Course subject abbreviation & number:

Course full title/name:

Method of Instruction (lecture, lab, lect. & lab, online) –

Credit hours at the transfer institution –

Possible UM Equivalent/course you desire credit for here:

PDF attachment:

CoE students can click on the blue button below to submit this information.

*Note regarding non-calculus MATH & PHYSICS courses: Starting FT 2016, qualifying CoE students may transfer in PHYSICS 115 for 2 credits. Either MATH 105 (4cr) or MATH 110 (2cr) may also be transferred, but not both. This is particularly relevant for Cross Campus students who previously did not receive this credit. If appropriate, transfer & other CoE students may receive similar credit for qualifying transfer courses.

Credit is only accepted from accredited colleges or universities. None is granted for an internship, co-op, practicum, military work, or life experience. Please note that a grade of "T" will show for credit, and the grade will not count in your UM cumulative GPA, unless it is credit taken at UM-Ann Arbor for cross-campus transfer students. Grades will notshow for courses taken at UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint. Cross campus transfers should note that a "C-" will be accepted only if earned on the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Campus for courses other than math, science, engineering, or other prerequisites for admission.

In order to receive transfer credit for a specific BIOLOGYcourse please work directly with the Biology Department to get coursework reviewed. This includes BIOLOGY, EEB, and MCDB courses. Forward us the results afterward for posting. We only review Biology courses for departmental credit, not specific course numbers. Additional information and a link to their system can be found at http://www.lsa.umich.edu/biology/transfercredit
For policy for transfer credit while dual enrolled in high school, see http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/academics/undergrad/transfer/dual-enroll

PHYSICS 140/141 & 240/241 courses are once again transferable. The competency exam was only required for PHYSICS 140/141 & 240/241 courses taken during Fall 2014.For PHYSICS courses taken on or after 1/1/15 - NO ONLINE Physics transfer credit will be accepted. See Physics Department website for further details: https://lsa.umich.edu/physics/undergraduate-students/transfer-credit.html

****If the course(s) you are requesting be evaluated are NOT LISTED on either database you must submit the following materials to engincredit@umich.edu prior to requesting the course(s) be evaluated/submitting a TCAF (see 1-6 below). Either that, OR material can be submitted during TCAF submission by either including a link/syllabus URL to course material, OR clicking on "Submit Form" AFTER which you will be prompted to upload 1 PDF per course request. We prefer 1 PDF file per course over a link to material. If material is not directly accessible from a link it must be converted into a PDF. Do not give us a link to a course guide on another institutions webpage, and expect us to locate material for the course. If emailing, ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME AND UM ID NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF EVERY EMAIL YOU SEND. If the course(s) are already approved and not expiring, you do not need to submit any course material with your TCAF. If you are participating in a study abroad program, please contact your study abroad advisor for assistance in locating and/or obtaining course syllabi prior to submitting evaluation requests.

The UM course for which you are seeking credit specified by an accurate UM departmental abbreviation and course number.(EX: MATH 115)Not sure what UM course to request? Search CoE courses per department:http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/academics/bulletin/coursesor search LSA courses https://lsa.umich.edu/cg/ Remember that departmental credit within a particular UM subject area may also be requested. For MECHENG & EECS courses especially, students need to look over the ME course profiles or EECS course profiles prior to making submissions to ensure that all the critical topics are covered. Students also need to provide information showing coverage of key topics.

Syllabus: an outline of the course, specifying topics covered in detail and indicating the supplemental materials/textbook(s) used. Without timely submission of a recent syllabus for each requested evaluation, the course is likely to be denied for transfer credit without review. In this situation, you are responsible for re-submitting another TCAF once course material is obtained. Please wait to submit a TCAF for any courses which need material in order to be reviewed until that material becomes available to you.

Course Description as provided by the external institution. This information can usually be found on the institutions website. Many courses will require at least a detailed syllabus for review. A course description may be acceptable for some courses.

Attach course information in 1 single PDF file per course submitted. Name the file with the following convention: Subject Abbreviation, Catalog Number, University Name, Current Month-Day-Year. Example Name: MATH 3450 Univ. of Akron 3-12-15 Combine files into one single PDF file per course using this PDF merger if needed: http://www.pdfmerge.com/ orhttps://foxyutils.com/mergepdf/Webpages can be saved as PDF files by right clicking>selecting print>selecting "save as PDF". Also, remember to convert any Word files into PDF documents. This can be done simply by choosing the format the material is saved. Select file>save as>PDF.

If available on the web or by contacting the instructor/institution also send any exams, midterms, lab manuals, quizzes, homework, course schedules, or projects pertaining to the course. This information is especially relevant for Chemistry, Math, Physics, EECS, and MECHENG evaluations. Most courses within these subjects require a detailed syllabus along with supporting material like example assignments and exams for evaluation.

If the course material is in another language include both the English translation & the untranslated version in 1 single PDF file per course. You may use online tools such as Google Translate to provide the English translation. You may also try right clicking on the webpage to see if "Translate to English" can be selected. From that point, use directions in #4 to make a PDF. When combining documents, please include the English translation first followed by the untranslated text.

Step 3 - Review Process

Upon receipt of your supporting course materials (course description and syllabus), your TCAF will be sent to the appropriate department(s) for evaluation. Please allow 2-4 week for processing time.

Once all courses have been evaluated, you will receive an email with an attachment (TCAF-Results). Please review the attachment carefully for course equivalency decisions as they may differ from what you had originally requested.

If the TCAF-Results do not match your requested UM course equivalent, please work with your advisor to identify another course(s) at the guest institution and submit a new TCAF.

If you have questions about the TCAF process, please contact engincredit@umich.edu.ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME AND UM ID NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF EVERY EMAIL YOU SEND. If you have read and understood all the above: